Opposition claims merger progress

(Photo: RFA)

Monday, 28 February 2011
Meas Sokchea
The Phnom Penh Post

Leader from the Sam Rainsy and Human Rights parties said they have achieved progress towards a negotiated merger in the latest round of talks between party leaders, according to a joint statement issued on Friday.

The statement follows three meetings this month between working groups from both parties to negotiate a union that aims to bolster opposition candidates’ chances against ruling Cambodian People’s Party members in commune elections next year and national polls in 2013.

Leaders from both parties said the two sides have agreed to a framework for the merger that is moving in the right direction.

“In merging the parties, the first step requires us to have confidence in each other,” SRP lawmaker Mu Sochua said yesterday.

What is happening in Cambodia this week

By Khmerization

Events in Cambodia in the last few days deserved some attention. The Human Right Party is holding its first congress today, with one of the agenda being a debate about the possibility of a merger with the Sam Rainsy Party.

News that Ms. Mu Sochua was elected as the head of the Sam Rainsy Party's Women Movement also deserved attention simply because she has been in the news spotlight recently for being a daredevil to challenge the Cambodian strongman, Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Another the hot news that deserved close attention would be Mr. Yim Sovan's blasting of the Cambodian court for "turning white into black, black into white". Asked by Deum Ampil journalist whether the SRP is considering changing its name in the near future, Mr. Sovan responded that the SRP will only change its name whenever the corrupt Cambodian courts become fully independent and Cambodia becomes a state of laws.

But the one that is hottest would be the news about the birth of ilovekhmer.org, a Khmer website created with the sole intention of countering the "provably false accusations" made by the Thai PM's website, ilovethailand.org. The site proved an instant popularity with internet users, with its site metre hotly counting the numbers of visitors.